Italy's domestic league braces itself for a major exodus of players, income and sponsorship in the wake of the match-fixing scandal. Thirteen of the World Cup title-winning 23-man squad belong to the four teams penalized in the match-fixing scandal. While the clubs and 19 officials have been handed out a variety of sentences, the players have remained unscathed and may be allowed to leave or have their contracts sold if the team can no longer afford them. Three of the clubs (Juventus, Fiorentina and Lazio) were relegated to Serie B and given a 30-point, 12-point and seven point deduction respectively for their part in the match-fixing scandal, while AC Milan were not relegated but given a 15 point deduction. With Europe gearing up for a bidding frenzy on Italy's players, Juventus president Giovanni Cobolli Gigli is remaining calm. "I have some hopes that some of our most important players will remain," said Gigli as reported by BBC Sports. Still regardless of the damaged reputation, Gigli remains firm that there will be no discounts on Juventus players looking to leave the club. "Obviously lots of them will find it hard to stay with us in Serie B with 30 points deducted, but the clubs that are interested will have to pay full rate," he said. "Should Real Madrid want our players, they will have to pay. That also applies to other teams who may be interested in our players, because we have the duty to defend the club's heritage." The sale of older players could open up a new world of young talent for the Italian league, but few seem interested in letting their stars go. Despite Gigli's optimism, Juventus, Fiorentina and AC Milan will likely be forced to sell many of their top players, and rumors are flying about the squad members' new destinations. Europe is readying itself for the Italian evacuation, with Spain and England's top clubs looking to feast on the spoils of the scandal.
Juventus were stripped of their last two Scudetto titles Both Manchester United and Liverpool bosses has expressed interest in buying out some of the Italian league's star players. Rafael Benitez has mentioned Liverpool's interest in striker David Trezeguet and winger Mauro Camoranesi. "All the Juventus players are good players - Trezeguet, Zambrotta, a lot of them are good players for us and for other clubs in the world. "There are a lot of good players in these teams and they interest us," he was quoted as saying by British media. "The players will be a better price now than they would have been three months ago," said the Liverpool boss. Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson was equally willing to admit interest, claiming the purchase of some of the Italian superstars was "something we are addressing." Ferguson is more hesitant than his Liverpool counterpart, and though there has been links to former Arsenal midfielder Patrick Vieira, he has said he will wait until the circumstances are clear before seeking to buy any players. "At the moment, we are not exactly clear who is available and what the circumstances are. "Some clubs might be looking at loan situations, believing they will get straight back into Serie A, so that is a possibility. "We also don't know whether players are available for sale or on free transfers," he added. According to Spanish newspaper "AS" Real Madrid, whose new coach Fabio Capello guided Juventus to the two championships they were stripped of on Friday, is already in talks with players from the dethroned Italian champions. Real Madrid are reportedly close to finalizing a deal with both Fabio Cannavaro and Gianluca Zambrotta and have shown interest in Brazilian international Emerson. Spanish media reports have also linked 34-year-old Juventus defender Lilian Thuram to La Liga champions Barcelona while Pavel Nedved's agent has claimed that Tott
